Principles to Remember in Crisis: God allows circumstances for His purposes

In today’s post we continue on Principles to Remember in Crisis. Today’s principle: God allows circumstances for His purposes.

Recently in the first post of this series, we revealed that the Apostle Paul provided two vital steps to persevere in trials or crisis. The first step, in a world with false teachers, false belief systems, and false hope, the Apostle reminds us to stand firm in what we know. The second step is to hold fast the traditions which we have been taught or learned from the Word. We simply identified those steps as: (1) Remember key principles and (2) Obey practical steps to encourage our perseverance.

This is our fourth principle to remember.

God allows circumstances for His purposes (John 11).

We need to look no further than the story of Lazarus to see this principle illustrated in the Scriptures. Remember that Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, were some of Jesus’ closest friends. This Mary is the one who anointed Jesus with very expensive fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair. They lived in Bethany, about two miles away from Jerusalem. In this situation, Lazarus gets real sick so Mary and Martha send for Jesus to come and heal him. They sent this message: “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick” (John 11:3).

John explains what happens next:

When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” (John 11:4-7)

The disciples with Jesus were not happy about going to Judea. The Jews sought to kill Jesus there before, so they warned Jesus to not go.

Jesus explains:

“Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”

However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” (John 11:11-15)

Jesus pointed out to the disciples that more was afoot than what they understood. As the story continues, they walk to Bethany, which was a two-day journey. When they arrive, Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days. Many women from Jerusalem had joined Mary and Martha to mourn Lazarus’ death.

As Jesus approached Bethany, still a ways out of town, Martha heard He was on His way. Martha went out to meet Him. She said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” (John 11:21). Notice what happens next:

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:22-27)

In these words to Martha, Jesus hinted at the greater purpose for this crisis. Then Martha leaves and tells Mary privately that Jesus was coming. Mary quickly gets up and goes to meet Jesus in the same place where Martha did. The Jews who were there to mourn with them followed her.

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” (John 11:32-36)

Notice what the Jews say to each other. “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37)

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:38-44)

God allows circumstances for His purposes.

Jesus reveals the hand of God in the story of Lazarus. What takes place in the story included Mary, Martha, and Lazarus but also was much bigger than just those three. God had more than just these immediate three friends and this sickness in mind as part of His greater purpose.

The Apostle John, as he recalls this story to us in the Bible, makes sure we understand that Jesus deeply loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus; they were His friends. He emphasized this by highlighting as Jesus arrived in Bethany and saw their heartache, He cried with them.

However in talking with the disciples, Jesus proclaims that Lazarus’ sickness and death ultimately was for the glory and greater purpose of God. Mary, Martha and Lazarus had no idea that God was graciously using them as tools to bring about His plan.

Yet, there is human suffering in this story. Lazarus was sick. No doubt he felt bad and what he went through was significantly tough and uncomfortable. He surely wanted relief.

Yet, again, Jesus reveals God had a different agenda than just their comfort or healing. Jesus saw the larger landscape.

Friends, I hope you understand this principle and hold tightly to it. In God’s plan, more was going on than what met the eye. Although uncomfortable physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, God allowed these circumstances in the lives of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha for something greater. The immediate circumstance did not reveal the totality of what God was doing.

In our own circumstances, it is important to remember God does have a greater plan than what we can immediately see. Further, our goal includes trusting Him and following Him along the way. We trust His character and His plan. Along the way, we receive His comfort and His love.

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